College & Research Libraries (C&RL) is the official, bi-monthly, online-only scholarly research journal ofthe Association of College & Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association.

About The Authors

Carol Tenopir is Chancellor’s Professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee–Knoxville; e-mail: ctenopir@utk.edu. Elizabeth D. Dalton is an Assistant Professor at Middle Tennessee State University; e-mail: Elizabeth.Dalton@mtsu.edu. Lisa Christian and Misty K. Jones are Research Associates at the University of Tennessee–Knoxville; e-mail: lchrist2@utk.edu, mlitton@utk.edu. Mark McCabe is Professor & Director of the Digital Business Program, SKEMA Business School, and Lecturer, Questrom School of Business, Boston University; e-mail: prof.mark.mccabe@gmail.com. MacKenzie Smith is University Librarian at the University of California–Davis; e-mail: macsmith@ucdavis.edu. Allison Fish is Assistant Professor at Indiana University–Bloomington; e-mail: allifish@indiana.edu.

Imagining a Gold Open Access Future: Attitudes, Behaviors, and Funding Scenarios among Authors of Academic Scholarship

Abstract

The viability of gold open access publishing models into the future will depend, in part, on the attitudes of authors toward open access (OA). In a survey of academics at four major research universities in North America, we examine academic authors’ opinions and behaviors toward gold OA. The study allows us to see what academics know and perceive about open access models, their current behavior in regard to publishing in OA, and possible future behavior. In particular, we gauge current attitudes to examine the perceived likelihood of various outcomes in an all-open access publishing scenario. We also survey how much authors at these types of universities would be willing to pay for article processing charges (APCs) from different sources. Although the loudest voices may often be heard, in reality there is a wide range of attitudes and behaviors toward publishing. Understanding the range of perceptions, opinions, and behaviors among academics toward gold OA is important for academic librarians who must examine how OA serves their research communities, to prepare for an OA future, and to understand how OA impacts the library’s role.